How-to-play videos are used more and more for designers to show potential publishers or playtesters their game and publishers after a game has been released to teach customers how to play them. This satirical episode gives tips on how NOT to make a how-to-play video. Here’s the gist of the tips we cover:

Prepare so you can keep it concise.

Keep it short. You don’t need to say every corner case, but make sure to cover any confusing ones.

Use consistent terminology.

Use at least two camera angles so it’s not just a talking head.

Layer in photos to help make your point and show examples.

Lighting is important! Light up your face with multiple lights at different angles so there are no shadows. (3-point lighting)

Light up your components to show them too, but with not glare. Don’t use sleeves if they add glare.

Use a microphone close to you for clear and consistent audio. Clean the audio afterwards.

Today we go through a quick overview of each iteration of our design process from a tool perspective. We discuss which of these tools work well and which ones we’ve used in the past. We also cover some of the software we use to stay connected to our designer partners. See the list below of everything we mention!